Each culture has its own halvah, united only by nameâwhich derives from the Arabic word for âsweetââand the fact that each is a sweetened candy or dessert, often an ancient and beloved recipe. A trip to Israel is not complete without sampling the countryâs halvah.
The amount of vitamin D you get from exposing your bare skin to the sun depends on: 1  The time of day â your skin produces more vitamin D if you expose it during the middle of the day. 2  Where you live â the closer to the equator you live, the easier it is for you to produce vitamin D from sunlight all year round.
Vitamin D is the name given to a group of fat-soluble prohormones (substances that usually have little hormonal activity by themselves but that the body can turn into hormones). Vitamin D helps the body use calcium and phosphorus to make strong bones and teeth. Skin exposed to sunshine can make vitamin D, and vitamin D can also be obtained from certain foods. Vitamin D deficiency can cause a weakening of the bones that is called rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Two major forms of vitamin D that are important to humans are vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol.